A Houston couple remains in the Harris County jail on charges of solicitation of capital murder, accused of hiring an undercover officer posing as a hitman to kill their former partners.

On Monday, the two appeared in court where a judge set bail for the Valerie Busick McDaniel, 48, a veterinarian who owns the Montrose Veterinary Clinic.

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Bail was denied for her boyfriend, Leon Phillip Jacob, 39.

State District Judge Jim Wallace agreed to an arrangement between prosecutors and the defense to set bail for McDaniel at $50,000.

Prosecutor Nathan Moss said McDaniel does not have a criminal history, but Jacob was already on bail, charged with stalking and assaulting his ex-girlfriend.

If McDaniel does make bail, she is barred from contacting her ex-husband and her 8-year-old daughter.

Investigators with the DA's office learned weeks ago that Jacob was seeking to have his ex-girlfriend killed, according to prosecutors.

They found out Jacob had allegedly agreed to pay a man $10,000 to orchestrate the attack. That man agreed to cooperate with authorities and he arranged a meeting with Jacob and an undercover officer posing as a hitman.

During a meeting at Olive Garden on Buffalo Speedway to discuss the plot, McDaniel asked the undercover officer to kill her ex-husband, according to prosecutors. She is accused of agreeing to pay him $10,000 as part of an installment payment toward that hit.

The plan was to shoot him in what would look like a carjacking gone bad.

Following the meeting, both would-be victims were notified of the plots against them, prosecutors said. They agreed to cooperate with authorities and helped them stage murder and kidnap scenes that were photographed as proof the attacks had been carried out.

Jacob and McDaniel were arrested March 10. If convicted, they face a sentence range from five years to life if convicted.

Contact reporter Brian Rogers at brian.rogers@chron.com. Follow him at twitter.com/brianjrogers.